The complex is situated in the Şehzadebaşı neighborhood of Eminönü. The complex was designed by Architect Sinan and built between 1543-1548 at the command of Sultan Süleyman, the Magnificent in honour of Şehzade Mehmed, his chosen successor who died at an early age. It was the first mosque Architect Sinan built for a Sultan.
The Şehzade Complex is made up of a mosque, a soup kitchen, a hospice, a school and a mausoleum. The mosque is located in the center of the complex. It is surrounded by a courtyard and contains an inner courtyard as well.
In the middle of the interior courtyard is a domed reservoir used for ablutions. The minarets are found where the walls of thecourtyard and mosque meet. The two minarets each have twin galleries and are unique in İstanbul due to their exterior ornamentation. The main dome of the mosque is 19 meters in diameter, 37 meters high and supported by four half-domes. It rests on four elephant legs. The most striking of the structures within the
mosque are the pulpit, niche and müezzin gallery. There are six mausoleums within the complex, five in an enclosed cemetery and one in the walls of the other court. The tomb of Şehzade Mehmed is one of the finest of them. The medresse, primary school, soup kitchen and hospital are found to the north of the complex and were built in such a way as to constitute a courtyard wall.
Istanbul Mosques
History
About Istanbul 
The complex is situated in the Şehzadebaşı neighborhood of Eminönü. The complex was designed by Architect Sinan and built between 1543-1548 at the command of Sultan Süleyman, the Magnificent in honour of Şehzade Mehmed, his chosen successor who died at an early age. It was the first mosque Architect Sinan built for a Sultan.
